Kenya to increase broadband access

Nairobi, June 5 (IANS) Kenya plans to increase the country's broadband access to 20 percent by the year 2017, a top official said.

Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) Director General Francis Wangusi said Tuesday that currently only 3 percent of the population has access to broadband, reported Xinhua.

"This has hindered many development objectives and so the government has set a target of 20 percent broadband access by the year 2017," Wangusi said during a workshop on the role of women in Information Communication Technology (ICT).

The two-day conference brought over 100 delegates to discuss ways to encourage the development and use of ICT among women and girls. Wangusi noted that despite Kenya's high mobile penetration rate, the broadband access remains low.

"However as more and more people use the technology, the cost of broadband will reduce," he said. Wangusi noted that the country's fixed telecoms infrastructure is minimal compared to the size of the population.

"Most of broadband access will be achieved through wired infrastructure," he said. The CCK said that wireless technology is easy to deploy but speeds achieved are usually lower compared to fixed lines.

He added that most of the country has been connected to the national fiber network.

"What is remaining is the last mile connection to the consumers," he said.